Tag Archives: artisan cheese

Hip, happening Ottawa gets its A-game on for Canada’s sesquicentennial

As a Calgarian and first-time visitor to Ottawa, I honestly didn’t think I’d get all tingly and swell with pride at the real-life sight of the Centre Block, Peace Tower and circular Library of Parliament high atop the hill. After all, we in Cowtown tend to look west when it comes to travel, and get impressed by mountains (not hills). But there’s no denying I’m smitten. Indeed, between millennials flocking to Parliament Hill for sun salutations and downward dog (or with their iPhones to try and get a selfie with Justin Trudeau), foodies seeking artisan cheeses and hand-made chocolates in ByWard Market, and zythophiles tracking down craft beer such as Beau’s Brewing Company’s Lug Tread — the official beer for Canada’s 150 birthday celebrations —Ottawa has never been hotter. Calgary Herald story.

Alleyways Market: Winnipeggers meet to shop local in the Exchange

Artisanal bread, locally-made jewelry and snacks of all descriptions were on offer at this year’s first Alleyways Market on Friday. Starting at 4 p.m., dozens of shoppers and nearly 60 vendors met in an alley in Winnipeg’s Exchange District for the first of four markets to be held this summer. “It’s nice to have a night market downtown,” said Colin Enquist. He’s the sales and marketing manager for PEG Beer Company, which was a vendor at Friday’s market. CBC News story.

‘Spreading the food and the love’: Fruit, nut trees to be planted across Shelburne County

Shelly Hipson applied to Shell Canada through the Roseway Community Association to help grow her communities – literally. She was able to get enough funds to purchase 50 fruit and nut trees. Rather than keep it in one community, Hipson decided to put some in every community in the county. “I wanted to spread the food and the love,” said Hipson. The Coastguard story.

Parksville-Qualicum association cooking up recipes for food tourism

To help create a collective vision, it has hired Tourism Cafe. Stakeholders were exposed to different food tourism examples from across Canada and were given the chance to draw inspiration from a variety of exercises conducted throughout the one-day session. Nancy Arsenault of Tourism Cafe indicated that based on their research, there are markets that are willing to pay for premium experiences. What Tourism Cafe aims to do is to discover successful food tourism recipes that can be applied to the region’s tourism strategy down the road. Parksville Qualicum Beach News story.

Food Island: Wine and food festivals bring crowds to P.E.I.

Other food centred events which have also helped P.E.I.’s economy include The P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival and The PEI Fall Flavours Festival. The provincial tourism department said many people decide to visit because of these food festivals. The Shellfish Festival attracts about 7,000 attendees — half are non residents. Fall Flavours attracts about the same number with 40 per cent being from out of province. CBC News story.

Multinationals face new pressures in grocery stores

Consumers increasingly want fresh, unprocessed food. The middle of the store now sees less traffic and that’s clearly affecting sales for most grocery products. Skippy peanut butter and Dad’s chocolate chip cookies are gone from the Canadian marketplace. If you feel sad about seeing these iconic brands go, brace yourselves. It’s just the beginning. Within days, two major U.S.-based food multinationals pulled well-known brands from the Canadian market. Mondelez International discontinued the iconic Dad’s cookies and Hormel Foods pulled Skippy peanut butter from the Canadian market. National brands are losing ground to private labels and fresh products. Net Newsledger story.

French schools, communities to focus on all things ‘local’

The newest Global Development Plan which provides a strategic vision for about 20 Francophone organizations across the Island, including the Commission scolaire de langue française, is based on the concept of holistic, intertwined school-community projects, planning and programs. Of particular interest, is the French and Acadian Developers Network’s first school-community pilot project, the jardins scolaires-communautaires (School-Community Gardens) that will be established at each of the six French schools. Not only does this focus on fusing school and local community initiatives respond to the needs and desires of the six Acadian regions of P.E.I., but it also comes about at the right time amidst other social advancements provincially and nationally. The Journal Pioneer story.

Cordelia crowned Startup Pitch night winner

Startup Pitch Night, a Startup Canada initiative was hosted locally by StartUP Sault Ste. Marie, and featured a grand prize of $1,000 cash (sponsored by TruShield Insurance), $500 Best Youth Pitch (sponsored by YouLaunch), and $250 Best Social Enterprise Pitch award (sponsored by NORDIK Institute). The grand prize winner was Cordelia Plant-Based Meals, a local food manufacturing business specializing in plant-based, healthy meals. Their ready-made meals are available for point-of-sale purchase at a growing number of locations in Sault Ste. Marie. SaultOnline.com story.

Sustainable Food Initiative

Our mission is to improve the food environment at the University of Alberta and contribute to a more sustainable food system on campus. We aim to make an impact through research, advocacy, awareness, networking, and action! Facebook page.

Food policy could become food fight

But this latest initiative signals a move into an area which has traditionally has been the purview of other agencies — ensuring Canadians have nutritious food. While a strong agri-food sector may contribute to that, much of AAFC’s recent emphasis has been on increased food processing. It may be good for the economy but not so good for our girths. One of the biggest “food-related issues” in Canada today is consumption of too much processed food. Winnipeg Free Press opinion.

AND IF YOU HAVE TIME

Why Canada needs a national food strategy

The agri-food industry’s potential has recently gained more prominence than we’ve seen in decades. This offers a rare opportunity for meaningful progress on these issues. A complete and collaborative approach to developing a national food strategy could serve as the vehicle that propels the agri-food industry forward, and this would bring value to all Canadians. In order for the agri-food industry to reach its potential, we need a unifying vision, which a national food strategy would provide. Policy Options post.